Metals from the Ages #3: Iron Age

After the Copper and Bronze Age, Tomas Pueyo goes into the Iron Age. Iron’s melting point is way higher (1538° C) than what those kilns could achieve, which is why it took a long time for iron to be used by humans. As bronze spread and became increasingly important, metallurgy and furnaces improved and we began to stumble upon iron as a byproduct. But:

“Iron is harder to smelt, you also can’t work iron cold, and it’s actually softer than bronze! What’s the point, then?”

 

Iron, unlike the other metals listed so far in the series, is widely available. As opposed to bronze which, remember, needed tin and thus trade lines. Iron has another key property. Mixed with the right amount of carbon, we get steel – stronger, lighter and less corrosive. Since carbon was part of the fuel (wood, coal) used in furnaces, so the chances of stumbling upon steel was reasonable.

 

Iron and steel “turbocharged” everything bronze had been doing: (1) Tools to clear forests and increase agricultural land; (2) Cheaper iron made agricultural tools widespread, leading to more produce and populations; (3) Cheaper iron also made weapons cheaper and widespread, increasing the size of armies; (4) It didn’t, as mentioned earlier, need trade for raw materials; (5) nails and hinges became cheaper.

 

Pueyo sums the topic perfectly: gold and silver first, but not of much practical use. Copper was the first metal of practical use. Lead and tin next, the latter with copper got us bronze, a game changer. But bronze needed tin and thus led to increasing trade. Iron came next and with its cousin, steel, was again transformative. Through history, technological progress has been the norm. It is just that we tend to forget it when it is very slow, as in the case of metals. And we tend to believe technology is a modern phenomenon, that the ancients didn’t have or create it themselves.

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